Cartridge

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a cartridge ( 1 ) for insertion into a receptacle of a motor vehicle handling facility having an interior chamber ( 2 ) which receives a liquid or pasty medium, an outlet ( 7 ), that can be opened so that the cartridge ( 1 ) can be used, and a data carrier ( 8 ) set up for touch-free electromagnetic signal transmission and positioned at a distance ( 5 ) to the interior chamber ( 2 ) of the cartridge ( 1 ) that is greater than a wall-thickness of the cartridge ( 1 ). Conventional cartridges of this kind are not sufficiently secure against confusion and resistant to outside influences. The task of making a cartridge available that cannot be confused, is reliable, space saving and resistant to outside influences, especially when in motor vehicle handling facilities, is solved by running an interior chamber floor ( 4 ) parallel and at a distance ( 5 ) to the floor of the cartridge ( 6 ) to which the data carrier ( 8 ) is allocated, or that the interior floor of the chamber ( 4 ) runs partially inclined to the floor of the cartridge ( 6 ) and the data carrier ( 8 ) is situated in the area of the greatest distance ( 11 ) between the interior floor of the chamber ( 4 ) and the cartridge floor ( 6 ).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a cartridge for insertion into a receptacle ofa motor vehicle handling facility according to the preamble of claim 1.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For known motor vehicle handling facilities, e.g., motor vehicle paintfinishing facilities or motor vehicle washing facilities, the liquid orpasty mediums to be applied to a vehicle often are extracted fromcartridges.

Thus, EP 1 414 682 B1 discloses a device for supplying a motor vehiclewashing facility with different chemical additives, which are filled incartridges and can be continuously extracted from these as needed. Thecartridges are differentiated from each other by means of specialdesign, just as the receptacles are correspondingly differentiated. Thispermits flange-mounting of a cartridge only to a receptacle adapted tothe design of said cartridge. This reliably rules out a confusing ofadditives. A disadvantage here is that a specifically adapteddifferently shaped cartridge must be manufactured for each receptacle.This necessitates, for each cartridge shape, a specific expensivemanufacturing tool, e.g., one special casting mold per cartridge shape.

Further known from the state of the art are cartridges provided withspecial identification means for automated identification of thecartridge contents. Thus, DE 196 32 326 C1 discloses an automobile paintline for which different paints are filled in small containers. Saidsmall containers carry as an identifying feature a bar code that can beread automatically prior to opening the small container. In addition thecontrol for the automobile paint line also can deliver, by means of thebar code, application data for control of the spray apparatus. Readingof the bar code is carried out optically by means of a bar code readerprior to opening the small containers, thus, before paint cancontaminate the outside of the small container. A reliable reading ofthe bar code during discharge of the paint would not be possible here,since optically capturing the bar code cannot be ensured due to paintcontamination or paint haze in the vicinity of the cartridge.

DE 198 54 862 A1 shows another packaging container provided with a datacarrier, with said data carrier being mounted on the surface of thecontainer wall in the area of a vertical running side wall of thecontainer by means of a special particular mounting or separateprotective device. The special particular mounting or separateprotective device shown here serves to protect the data carrier fromexternal mechanical or chemical impact.

US 2003/0095253 A1 also shows the use of a data carrier for a container,in particular a glass bottle. Here, the data carrier is used in order toidentify whether the bottle has already been opened or damaged, with thespecific arrangement of the transponder on the container having nofurther significance. Here, the bottle content is poured out by means ofa conventional bottle neck.

EP 1 060 895 discloses the use of a data carrier for printing cartridgesfor ink-jet printers, with the data carrier being arranged here on thevertical outside surface of the cylinder of the printing cartridge, suchthat it can be easily damaged from the outside as the exchangeableprinting cartridge is grasped.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The problem of the invention therefore is to make available a cartridgethat cannot be confused, is reliable, and resistant to outsideinfluences, especially for use of the cartridge in motor vehiclehandling facilities, motor vehicle washing facilities in particular.

This problem is solved by means of a cartridge for insertion into areceptacle of a motor vehicle handling facility having the features ofClaim 1. Advantageous configurations and expedient improvements of theinvention are indicated in the subordinate claims.

A cartridge according to the invention for insertion into a receptacleof a motor vehicle handling facility features a data carrier set up fortouch-free electromagnetic signal transmission and positioned on thecartridge at a distance to the interior chamber that is greater than awall-thickness of the cartridge, with an interior chamber floor runningparallel and at a distance to the cartridge floor to which the datacarrier is allocated, or with the interior chamber floor runningpartially inclined to the cartridge floor and the data carrier situatedin the area of the greater distance between the interior chamber floorand the cartridge floor. Here, the distance is selected to be greatenough to secure an electromagnetic signal transmission between the datacarrier and an electromagnetic receiving and transmitting unit of thecontrol unit of the motor vehicle washing facility arranged on thereceptacle; thus, at the most, insignificant influences can appear. Ifthe data carrier is allocated to a cartridge floor running parallel andat a distance from the interior chamber floor, then the necessarydistance between data carrier and the medium contained in the interiorchamber can be secured in a simple space-saving way. If alternativelythe interior floor of the chamber runs partially inclined to thecartridge floor and the data carrier is situated in the area of greaterdistance between the interior chamber floor and the cartridge floor, thearea in the cartridge available for the interior space is particularlywell utilized.

In a particularly advantageous configuration of the invention, the datacarrier is a passive transponder, so that there is no need to providethe cartridge with its own power supply for the data carrier.Alternatively however, an active transponder also can be used, which issupplied with power by an integrated power supply unit.

In a particularly advantageous execution in terms of productengineering, the data carrier is arranged on the cartridge by means of aspacing element. This allows the data carrier to be mounted at anydiscretionary location of the cartridge, with the spacing elementadvantageously being able to be molded as part of the cartridge.

If the outlet is arranged in the area of least distance between theinterior chamber floor and the cartridge floor, then it is particularlyeasy for the medium to flow out from the interior chamber of thecartridge, preventing waste of the medium.

A container inserted in the interior chamber of the cartridge enables aparticularly protected accommodation of the liquid or pasty additive inthe interior chamber of the cartridge.

An inlet in the cartridge advantageously permits the cartridge to befilled with said liquid or pasty additive. By the same token, an inletpermits a solid, e.g., powdered additive situated in the cartridge to bemixed in the cartridge by adding water, substantially lessening theweight of a cartridge not yet filled with water.

In order to be able to transmit the fill state of the additives to thecontrol unit of the handling facility, an advantageous execution of theinvention provides for a fill state sensor, which is arranged adjacentto the outlet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Additional features and advantages of the invention result from thefollowing description of preferred embodiments with the aid of thedrawings. Shown are:

FIG. 1: a schematic perspective representation of a first embodiment ofa cartridge according to the invention;

FIG. 2: a schematic perspective representation of a second embodiment ofa cartridge according to the invention;

FIG. 3: a schematic perspective representation of a third embodiment ofa cartridge according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The cartridge (1) shown in FIG. 1 is composed of a hard plastic, withthe walls of the cartridge (1) being of the same thickness throughout.The upper area of the cartridge in FIG. 1 features an interior chamber(2), which can be filled with a liquid or pasty medium, here a highlyconcentrated chemical additive. These media or additives can be ashampoo, drying agent, wax or wheel cleaner or a combination of saidadditives in highly concentrated liquid or pasty form. It also ispossible, however, to fill a cartridge with additives in solid, e.g.,powder, form and not to dissolve this until in the cartridge (1) byfilling water in an inlet (3). In order to prevent deterioration of theadditives during a long holding time of the cartridge (1) in the motorvehicle washing facility, the inlet (3) can be sealed in an airtightmanner. The operator of a motor vehicle washing facility customarilyprocures cartridges already filled with additives in order to theninsert these into a receptacle of a motor vehicle washing facility.

The receptacle, not shown here, of a motor vehicle washing facilityincludes at individual plug-in locations one or more electromagneticreceiving and transmitting units connected to a control unit of themotor vehicle washing facility.

The interior chamber (2) is defined by means of an interior chamberfloor (4), which runs parallel, and at a distance (5) to the cartridgefloor (6). Provided at one end of the interior chamber floor (4) is acylindrical outlet (7) drawn with dashed lines in FIG. 1. The cartridgefloor (6) seals the outlet (7) in order to prevent discharge of theadditive prior to use. The outlet (7) is opened by means of a punchprovided on the receptacle, whereby the cartridge floor (6) can featurea reduced wall thickness in this area in order to facilitate opening.Alternatively, the outlet (7) can be sealed by means of a manuallyremovable cover or similar closure, with a thin membrane on the outlet(7) preventing discharge of the additive prior to use.

In an alternative embodiment of the cartridge not shown here, acompressible or fixed container, which is connected in a sealing mannerto the outlet (7) and, if need be, to the inlet (3), is inserted in theinner chamber (1) [sic; (2)] to accommodate the additive.

Arranged on the cartridge floor (6) is a data carrier in the form of apassive transponder (8). Stored in the transponder (8) are data relatingto the medium contained in the interior chamber (2), e.g., the type ofmedium, expiration date thereof, charge number, information for optimaldilution ratio with water, etc. Data stored in the transponder (8) canbe read by the control unit of the motor vehicle washing facility bymeans of the electromagnetic receiving and transmitting units of thereceptacle. For the passive transponder (8) present here, powertransmission for operating the transponder (8) also occurs by means ofthe receiving and transmitting units. In order for power and datatransmission, with the latter occurring in a high frequency manner, notto be impaired or even rendered impossible by means of the liquid orpasty medium contained in the interior chamber (2), the transponder (8)is arranged on the cartridge floor (6) at a sufficient distance from theinterior chamber floor (4). In the present embodiment, this distance isa multiple of the wall thickness of the cartridge (1), wherein even alesser distance would be sufficient. In order to be able to ensure amore secure data transmission to the transponder, said distance must,however, be greater than the usual wall thickness required for thestability and leak security of the cartridge (1). An unusually thick oronly sporadic heightened swelling of the wall thickness of the cartridge(1), e.g., in the area of the interior chamber floor (4), would notrepresent a usual wall thickness of the cartridge (1) in theaforementioned sense.

Arranged in the outlet (7) is a fill state sensor (9), which isconnected to an evaluation electronics (10). The evaluation electronics(10) is connected to the transponder (8) such that the fill state of theadditive in the interior chamber (2) determined by means of the fillstate sensor (9) likewise can be transmitted by means of theelectromagnetic receiving and transmitting units to the control unit ofthe motor vehicle washing facility. Alternatively, the fill state sensor(9) can also be connected by means of a plug-in connection, provided atthe receptacle, to the control unit of the motor vehicle washingfacility. By the same token, it is possible to mount the fill statesensor (9) at another location, e.g., to the interior chamber floor (4).

The cartridge 1 shown in FIG. 2 corresponds in essence to that of FIG.1, such that only the differences will be described in the following.Identical reference numbers are used for identical elements.

Here, the interior chamber floor (4), rather than running parallel tothe cartridge floor (6), inclines from the greater distance (11) on theright side of the cartridge (1) in FIG. 2 to the cartridge floor (6) inthe area of the outlet (7). Here, the outlet (7) likewise is of acylindrical design, yet due to the smaller distance (12) betweeninterior chamber floor (4) and cartridge floor (6) in the area of theoutlet (7) is substantially shorter than that shown in FIG. 1. In orderto prevent an interference to the electromagnetic transmission betweentransponder (8) and the receiving and transmitting unit in thereceptacle caused by the additives, the transponder (8) is arrangedbetween the inclined interior chamber floor (4) and cartridge floor (6)in the area of greater distance.

The embodiment represented in FIG. 3 differs from the embodimentaccording to FIG. 1 only by means of the arrangement of the transponder(8) on the cartridge (1). Here, the cartridge floor (6) was left out, sothat the side walls of the cartridge (1) project beyond the interiorchamber floor (4) in order to be able to engage in correspondingrecesses of the receptacle. The transponder (8) is arranged on theinterior chamber floor (4) of the cartridge (1), by means of two spacingelements designed as distancing pieces (13), ensuring the requireddistance from the liquid or pasty medium stored in the interior chamber(2). However, this also can occur by means of other spacing elements,e.g., by means of an increased wall thickness of the interior chamberfloor (4) in this area. Provided that the spacing element is formed bymeans of a thickening or widening of the wall thickness of the interiorchamber floor (4) or of the cartridge (1), this augmented wall thicknessis not the usual wall thickness relevant to a dimensioning of thedistance required for a secure function of the transponder (8). Thespacing element ensures that the transponder (8) maintains the distanceto the additive in the interior chamber (2) necessary for orderlyoperation. Spacing elements also can be provided for the embodimentshown in FIG. 2.

1. Cartridge (1) for insertion into a receptacle of a motor vehiclehandling facility having an interior chamber (2) that receives a liquidor pasty medium, an outlet (7) that can be opened so that the cartridge(1) can be used, and a data carrier (8) set up for touch-freeelectromagnetic signal transmission and positioned at a distance (5) tothe interior chamber (2) of the cartridge (1) that is greater than awall-thickness of the cartridge (1), wherein an interior chamber floor(4) runs parallel and at a distance (5) to the cartridge floor (6) towhich the data carrier (8) is allocated, or that the interior chamberfloor (4) runs partially inclined to the cartridge floor (6) and thedata carrier (8) is situated in the area of greater distance (11)between the interior chamber floor (4) and the cartridge floor (6). 2.Cartridge (1) according to claim 1, wherein the data carrier (8) is apassive transponder.
 3. Cartridge (1) according to claim 1, wherein thedata carrier (8) is arranged on the cartridge (1) by means of one ormore spacing elements (13).
 4. Cartridge (1) according to claim 1wherein the outlet (7) is arranged in the area of lesser distance (12)between interior chamber floor (4) and cartridge floor (6).
 5. Cartridge(1) according to claim 1 wherein a container for accommodating theliquid or pasty medium is inserted in the interior chamber (2) and isconnected to the outlet (7).
 6. Cartridge (1) according to claim 1wherein the cartridge (1) features an inlet (3) for filling the liquidor pasty medium in the interior chamber (2) or container.
 7. Cartridge(1) according to claim 1 wherein a fill state sensor (9) is providedthat is adjacent to the outlet (7).
 8. Cartridge (1) according to claim7, wherein the fill state sensor (9) is connected to an evaluationelectronics (10) and/or to the data carrier (8).